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In the times those players were on the go, including Jack White, good rock music was still part of the mainstream, i.e. people in to rock music would have a fairly limited choice of releases and every rock fan would have heard Guns n Roses for example.
But these days it only seems to be the cheesy image-based pop that has stayed in the mainstream and all other music styles are more independent. Rather than a handful of bands selling millions of records to everyone and all the smaller bands having little to no distribution, the internet gives loads of artists more equal attention. So instead of there being a few bands that everyone is in to, there are tons of bands being enjoyed by smaller groups of people so I don't think there will be any single guitar idols that change the fashion. It'll be more Youtube players that people look up to and given that Youtubers have a tendency to all copy each other and homogenize, I can totally see the fashion for guitars being as it is right now really.
Something I can see happening is digital modelling amps completely taking over. To the point where a real amp would only be used for the novelty, sort of how someone might make a Youtube video now of them recording directly to wax cylinder.
So in the future "Marshall", "Fender", "Vox" etc. will just describe flavours of guitar sounds and young people might never have actually plugged in to one of them. Like now when kids type up a document and click the icon that they know means "save" without having any idea that it's a picture of a floppy disk that we used to carry around and have to put in to the computer.
There will be bugger all difference, I was gigging with valve amps, classic guitar designs and slightly unconvincing but convenient digital effects in 1999, as we all still are.
Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I think we are still decades away from people who are afforded the luxury to stop playing valve amps live.
Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
Digital photography is like digital recording in that it revolutionised not only what was possible, but brought it into the home market. Not having to wait a week for Boots to print your pictures, or to have to spend the price of a small car to go into a recording studio is key.
Traditional photography for most people was the equivalent of owning an electric guitar, but only being allowed to hire an amp once a week.
Environmental factors will kill off valve amps, but for the time being, they're cheap, serviceable, reliable and long lasting.
Digital amps are awesome, but we don't NEED them to be independently productive, like we needed Cubase or Photoshop.
I know not all valve amp sales are about a head + 4x12 - But agree the 'boutique' side of valve amps will continue, as per the hi-fi trade etc, and probably far less 'mass production' valve amps - I know of a few 'discerning' die hard valve amp customers who now gig with a Boss Katana as they are far more practical and sound pretty good
I don't disagree that a valve amp - or a decent analogue solid-state amp for that matter, which always seen to be overlooked - will usually sound better in a band situation, but how many guitar players even gig nowadays? Less than you may think... and for many, cranking up an amp at home simply isn't an option, so they are only really usable by booking into a rehearsal studio.
I certainly don't disagree that professionals and serious amateurs will still continue to use valves, and there will probably always be a market for vintage amps and small-builder modern ones, but I can see mass-produced commercial valve amps and even valves disappearing very quickly once there is a real step change in either the technology or the user base for digital, just as happened with TV/monitors - there are no commercial CRTs being made now as far as I know. I thought it would happen in the 1990s and I was wrong - but only because a few factories in former Communist countries carried on, largely because their consumer and military technology was stuck in the past - but it very nearly did, and for a few years it wasn't possible to get a reliable bulk supply of new EL34s, hence the '5881 era' of Marshalls.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I’ve definitely still got one of these somewhere - most of them died because the battery died - still works on adaptor. If I had a battery, i would definitely give it a go again! This one is on Reverb for £300+ !
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
However there has been a serious advance in the tonal quality and versatility of the digital modelling amp' that is available today - I tend to agree that the days of the more affordable 'production' valve amps are fading - But I do agree that the 'boutique' end of the valve market will continue as a cottage industry for those who require it
Regarding vintage used amps it is already a specialist market place - Technically illegal for dealers to sell such amps today without a pat test and those round bulgin mains plugs - Okay to sell them privately etc without such legal issues - But the cost of a good re-build, overall etc ensures it is barely commercially viable for dealers to buy and trade, then sell such amps in a good working order, coupled with any warranty that is required to be included within the sale price - Fine if you are a good tech yourself, to buy such an old amp, then can carry out your own DIY work - Fine if you want to pay the cost of a good service for the amp, then keep it for your own use - There are a few good amp repair guys around, many on FB, but the days appear to have gone when most 'local' stores had access to a decent amp tech at an affordable hourly work rate
Even amps like say a Peavey Bandit 65 are an issue for dealers - Probably the best selling compact tranny amp from the 80's and 90's - But legally a dealer has to sell it with a pat test and a warranty - The trade price would have to be peanuts, to allow for any check-up, pat test, service as required, by the dealer in order to sell for well under £100 - Effectively for the dealer they have practically became unsaleable
*rolleyes*
HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
Forum feedback thread. | G&B interview #1 & #2 | https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/
I bet he has none with that 'mushroom' footswitch still intact - Surely they all broke and have been replaced with a regular DPDT pedal switch - see below
I wonder if he has a HH Clockwork Concubine for the VS Musician
Then what about the HH Performer series with plug in modules - maybe somewhat a head of its day - But that range flopped and with such heavy R&D costs it started the downfall of HH
There are a couple of bands/guitarists who are incredibly well regarded here on this forum who have incredibly impressive/flashy 'licks' but don't seem to use that to build it into a decent or interesting composition.